Actually EVs have BRUTAL low-end torque if they have quality (expensive) batts and components. They can totally destroy up a stock rear end. Stock cars converted to EVs by amateurs who know their stuff have broken into the 10's for the quarter mile.
Well got some tough numbers for you.
It's REALLY hard for a generator to compete with a car engine for efficiency. Went through this awhile ago. Car engines these days are hella well tuned. Generators have the unique advantage of running at constant rpm and load, but that was only a big deal when cars were running on carbs which can't respond with mathematical precision like an EFI system. There really aren't many small generators designed for great efficiency, they're designed to be big and cheap and nobody cares.
Bottom line is we ran the numbers, calculated generator head losses, controller losses, and motor losses, and it **might** be slightly better (maybe 10%-15% more mpg) than the car's engine, but more likely less, and certainly can't double your mpg or anything. For one, we didn't take into account that even a 10KW generator is HUGE, heavy, and might need to be pulled on a trailer. Now that's assuming the power won't be stored in the batt. Storing in a lead-acid batt and taking it back out can lose 30% of the energy as "cycle loss" so at that point the budget to compete with the original engine is definitely broken.
And I've also considered top of the line turbines. They may come with substantially better efficiency, but we're talking in the 10%-30% range. In fact that's where the "best case" of minor mpg improvements comes from.
Plus a gen lacks any oxygen sensors, EFI, and catalytic converter. It can produce tens, even 100x the pollution per mile of a modern car! It's probably illegal and certainly not "green". A common 10KW gen is phenomenally noisy and smelly too, I mean it'll get you noticed and not in a good way.
Suggest you go here right away:
**broken link removed**
Search the archives to catch up then do some talking. These guys know exactly what backyard EV tech can and can't do. The generator has come up and the numbers just keep pointing to it not being a solution that meets "green" or even fuel-efficiency goals.
Sorry but the "60 mpg Hummer" guy (Jonathan Goodwin):
https://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/motorhead-messiah.html
His claims don't hold up to scrutiny. He made a nice EV that is a pretty good example of what amateurs can do. He doesn't present any reasons to justify how he's gonna make a 100mpg 1960 Lincoln Continental- he just says it's a goal. A lot of his other points are totally unrealistic by a long shot but it's sort of a long story why.